Nerdly » ‘WWE NXT’ Review (May 22nd 2019)

23rd May2019

‘WWE NXT’ Review (May 22nd 2019)

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s NXT review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a bad week from the WWE to deal with as we look at NXT. Okay, here we go.

Match #1: Mansoor def. Sean Maluta

The following is courtesy wwe.com:

Mansoor has shown well during all his appearances on NXT and NXT UK, giving established Superstars like Dominik Dijakovic and Travis Banks a run for their money. Tonight, however, Mansoor not only turned in another head-turning performance, but he also scored his first victory on NXT TV, defeating Sean Maluta. The “Samoan Dragon” gave Mansoor plenty of trouble, at one point catching him with a leaping Codebreaker off the middle turnbuckle, but Mansoor courageously fought back. He snapped off a low-angle German suplex before hitting Maluta with a slingshot neckbreaker and an innovative twisting inverted suplex to score the three-count.

My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was quick enough to miss even as you watch it, but it was good enough to be missed if you blinked. Does that make any sense? Mansoor is pretty fun and has a shot at being very interesting, if nothing else. Overall, this was a match that Mansoor can point to as a decent way to show his talent.

Match #2: Candice LeRae def. Reina González

The following is courtesy wwe.com:

Candice LeRae overcame a significant size and strength disadvantage to take down hard-hitting Texan Reina González and continue her ascent in the NXT Women’s division. After enduring González’s bruising offense, LeRae mounted a high-flying comeback, launching a hurricanrana and a missile dropkick before sticking the Quebrada for the win. “Tenacious C” didn’t have much time to celebrate her feat, however, as NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir stormed the ring and attacked her in an apparent receipt for LeRae’s involvement in their pull-apart brawl with Io Shirai two weeks ago. Fortunately for LeRae, she has friends in high places. The Genius of the Sky, who’s set to challenge Baszler at TakeOver: XXV, charged the ring with a kendo stick in hand and went to town on her nemeses, turning the stick into splinters as she repelled the Horsewomen from the squared circle.

My Opinion: 1 out of 5 – This was a lousy match that didn’t do anything bad to Candice.

Match #3: (Main Event) Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly def. Johnny Gargano & Matt Riddle

The following is courtesy wwe.com:

One week after reuniting, Undisputed ERA proved that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts, and that could prove ominous for their opponents at TakeOver: XXV, as it did tonight. NXT Champion Johnny Gargano & Matt Riddle gelled well in their high-octane match against Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly and had enough firepower to keep the Undisputed ERA tandem on their heels, but they also had two factors working against them. First, Riddle was still visibly suffering the effects of Roderick Strong’s beatdown last week. His heavily taped ribs belied his fighting spirit and gave Fish & O’Reilly a giant bull’s-eye to target. While Riddle fought through those headwinds, the second factor that spelled trouble for his and Gargano’s dream team — the vigilance of the other Undisputed ERA members not in the match — wasn’t as easy to overcome. At the height of battle, Riddle nailed Fish with the Final Flash knee strike, but O’Reilly pulled his partner to safety outside the ring. As Riddle gave chase, Adam Cole strode to ringside, only to be taken out by a suicide dive by Gargano. With the referee focused on Gargano and Cole, Riddle was left wide open for another blitz by Strong. The Messiah of the Backbreaker — who, it was confirmed earlier in the night, will face Riddle at TakeOver: XXV — slammed The Original Bro onto the hard ring apron and rolled him into the ring, where Fish & O’Reilly finished the job, thrashing Riddle with a high/low combination for the win.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was an excellent main event that traded in strong wrestling, rather than flashy spectacle. The action was as believable as anything you’ll see in wrestling right now, with the right balance of stunts and logic to make this otherwise technical fight just what it should be. This was a good one, which I can say with no doubts of regrets.